Large air handling equipment such as fans, heat exchangers, and air conditioners for industrial and commercial buildings are often installed either on the roof of the building, or at ground level along the side of the building. The equipment is typically sheltered within an insulated enclosure for protection against weather and for sound dampening purposes.
Typically, the relatively large enclosures comprise several sheet metal side panels, a top cover, and a bottom panel, all mounted to a sturdy frame for support. Access to the interior of the enclosure is often by means of an access opening through one of the side panels. The opening is covered by an access panel and is reinforced with a sturdy fabricated frame to enable the access panel to be hinged and latched to the frame.
Such enclosures have several disadvantages. For example, gaskets are needed to seal the numerous joints between components of the enclosure. In addition, small moving parts such as hinges and latches on the access door are susceptible to failure due to corrosion. Another drawback is the need for a main support frame which is fairly expensive to manufacture because it is a relatively large structure constructed of heavy gauge sheet metal.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an enclosure for large air handling equipment which does not require a prefabricated frame.
Another object is to reduce the number of gaskets by having the sound and thermal insulating material also function as a gasket.
Another object is to provide an access panel that is secured with fasteners having no moving parts.
Another object is to provide an access opening which does not require a fabricated frame for rigidity.
Another object is to provide a vertical panel that can be easily adapted to function either as a bottom panel or a dividing panel.
Another object is to provide sheet metal enclosure panels having edges that can be joined in a variety of configurations.
These and other objects of the invention will be more fully understood after consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.